My sport has transformed my body to be powerful for a specific task over years of training and competition. The more tuned for competition I am, the less "feminine" I look, and it has made me feel powerful on the track but self-conscious in the sack. That transformed for me as I let go of feminine ideals of all kinds, in work, parenting, etc.

Perfect preparation doesn’t exist. Excellent adaptation does.

We can't expect to effectively move forward with half the population carrying sandbags.

When you're a dreamer, heart break and failure come with the territory, but I can tell you it's worth it, because it's a way of living that is both moving and memorable.

I’ll never forget the first time I ran with a group of Kenyan women in 2004... The first mile was way slower than my typical run to the point where I was looking around thinking, “Are they for real? These are the fastest women in the world?” But by mile 5 we were buzzing along, mile six I was hitting the gas, and mile seven I was hanging on for dear life.

Running is not who I am; it's something I do; it's something I love.

Make your race a playground, not a proving ground.